Kenilworth Sporting have been left 'very disappointed' after the announcement this week that all non-league football was to be abandoned for the rest of the 2020-21 season, putting an end to the club's title challenge.

Non-league teams were given the chance to vote on whether the leagues should continue. Three-quarters of sides voted to curtail the season, and as such all teams in steps three to six in the non-league pyramid have had their seasons null and voided.

The Midland Football League then announced on Wednesday, February 24 that all leagues in step seven and below would also be cancelled, including the MFL3 which Sporting currently reside in.

When the league was originally paused Kenilworth Sporting sat top of the Midland League Division Three on 21 points, having won seven of their opening eight games.

Their last competitive fixture however was on October 24, a 5-0 win over Birmingham Tigers; and with only a quarter of the season played it remains to be seen as to whether there will be any movement of teams between the leagues.

Manager of Kenilworth Sporting Martin Ascroft said: "We're disappointed, very disappointed obviously that we couldn't finish what we started.

"From my perspective we have achieved more then I ever possibly thought we would in our first season.

"But we are very disappointed if I am honest with you, with such a good start to the season, being top of the league, it would have been great to have secured promotion as champions or runners up."

However, with the obvious financial impact on non-league football from lost gate receipts over the past twelve months, there is a possibility that Sporting could still move up into MLF2.

"We haven't given up any hope of gaining promotion, from finishing top of the league, from teams asking to be relegated or failing financially we may be able to move up.

"We need to know obviously, I need to go out and recruit more players and get the players that are going to get us promoted to division one and the premiership; we want to be there playing in the FA Cup.

"My ambition for this club and for Geoff [Harris] is to have FA Cup football, if we can get to Division One in the next couple of seasons we can get into the FA Cup, how great would that be for Kenilworth Sporting and Kenilworth as a town?

"Even if you're only in the preliminary rounds, you're still in the FA Cup, and how great would that be for everyone involved."